Over the past number of years St Brides have established themselves among the top clubs in the county. By Eunan Whyte. After coming close to landing the Joe Ward title in 2002, they Knockbridge side have been regularly in the knock-out stages of the senior championship. A lot of work has been put by club members over the past number of season which the Bride's hope will put them at the forefront of Louth football, both on and off the field. Underage football has been given much attention over the past couple of years and the future looks bright with a number of promising players coming through. In terms of facilities St Brides took on a major development in 2003 and this year saw them enjoy their first full season using the facilities. Colm Marry is one of a number of people in the club who has worked tirelessly over the past few years and is thrilled to see the development now in full swing. "Our previous dressingrooms were built in the 1950s and while they served us well, they had really passed their sell by date. We considered renovating those dressingrooms but then decided to look at the other side of the field where we had space and the added option of car parking facilities. "We decided to apply for planning permission and when that came through we started the building in 2003. The building was ready within a year and the first game was the semi-final of the championship the following June. "The complex consists of two dressingrooms, toilets, a meeting room and a main function room," explained Colm. Probably the most appropriate term for the new building is "clubhouse" given the amount of work put in by club members on a voluntary basis. "The great thing about this development is that we were able to do a lot of the work ourselves. I don't like to mention names because as soon as you do that you risk leaving people out. However, we couldn't talk about the building without a special mention for Michael McNally and Eamonn Kirk, who were both involved with myself from the planning stage. "Michael is an electrician and Eamonn is a carpenter and along with others gave their time voluntarily so we were able to cut costs. It has meant the money we did spend could go a long way and to date we have spent in the region of E300,000. That money has come from local fundraising as well as grants from the National Lottery and Leinster Council." The new building has helped St Brides address one important issue, that of safety on what is a very busy road. "Everybody knows that it was a dangerous road but there was nowhere to park but on the side of the road. Now we have car parking for up to 80 cars so players and parents can park in comfort and safety. "We have also put in a lot of work erecting fencing and we have recently put up new gates, so the whole thing is looking really well." While the club is thrilled to be able to boast such modern facilities, Colm insists that they will not be sitting back and that more development is planned. "Our facilities needed improvement and we are delighted to be able to provide a top class, modern complex for everyone in St Brides. "At the moment, we are planning ahead and looking at the possibility of providing a second pitch for the club. Knockbridge is getting really build up at the moment and there is no doubt that we will need a second playing field. We also cater for the hurling teams so the reality is that one field is not enough. "When you consider the amount of juvenile training and games then you could argue for the need for a third pitch, but I don't think that will happen. "We know it is going to be difficult but we are working on it. As everybody knows, land is not cheap but we will do our best to achieve it. "Our next project will probably be to upgrade the training lights, while we are working on a public address system, which we feel is important. As regards floodlights for games, the jury is still out. We are just not sure if it is worth spending that amount of money on something that will only be used occasionally. Like any football club, the main priority is to achieve success on the field of play and Colm points out that they have been active in this regard with a lot of work being put into the juvenile end of things. "On the field of play, we didn't win any trophies this season, but despite this we feel it has been a year of progress. In terms of the future of the club it is great to see that the juveniles are making inroads. "The juvenile committee under the chairmanship of Eugene Kirk have been doing a lot of work at underage level and that is a very important part of our club." Like many other clubs in the county, Colm points out that St Brides have to battle to get young people involved with the club give the many alternatives that are open to young people these days. Apart from the draw of other codes, Colm points out that the growth of hurling in the area has added to the difficulty in developing young footballers. "For us the challenge is not from soccer, but ironically from hurling. I don't mean that in a bad way as we are not in opposition, but at times it can lead to a case of divided loyalties. For example, there are simple things like a clash of fixtures which can make it hard for both the footballers and the hurlers to field, but thankfully we have been able to work together on such issues." Colm concedes that in recent times the required work hasn't been put in at underage level, but that problem has been addressed and already it is showing signs of being rewarded. "There is no doubt that things slipped in terms of underage football over the past four or five years, but this year and last has seen the club make a big effort in terms of coaching and are now very well organised from U-13 up. "This year we had to amalgamate with Roche Emmets to field a minor team and we are confident that this situation will change but we know we are on the way to getting our house in order." The senior team also made progress this year with an encouraging showing in the championship, but it was ultimately to end in disappointment. "We felt that we let it slip in the quarter-final of the championship against Nh Mairtin when we lost to a late goal. It was our own fault as we know we shouldn't have let is slip. However, we have a good bunch of players and we will give it another shot. "We were in Division 1B this year but our aim is to be in the higher league as it is a bit stronger and gives you better preparation for the championship." Tweet

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